The present invention relates to smoking articles such as cigarettes, and in particular to cigarettes which generate low amounts of visible sidestream smoke.
Popular smoking articles such as cigarettes have a substantially cylindrical rod shaped structure and include a charge of smokable material such as shredded tobacco (e.g., cut filler) surrounded by a paper wrapper thereby forming a so-called "tobacco rod." It has become desirable to manufacture cigarettes having cylindrical filter elements aligned in an end-to-end relationship with the tobacco rod. Typically, filter elements are manufactured from fibrous materials such as cellulose acetate and plug wrap, and are attached to the tobacco rod using a circumscribing tipping material.
Cigarettes are employed by the user by burning one end thereof. The user then receives mainstream smoke into his/her mouth by drawing on the opposite end (e.g., the filter end) of the cigarette. During the time that the cigarette is not being drawn upon by the user, it remains burning, and sidestream smoke is generated. Sidestream smoke is smoke which directly enters the atmosphere during the static burn period of a smoking article. Sidestream smoke diffuses into the atmosphere, and the characteristic visible nature thereof may be perceived negatively by certain individuals. Thus, certain consumers of cigarettes have indicated a desire to decrease the levels of visible sidestream smoke generated by their cigarette.
Cigarette paper wrappers for the preparation of tobacco rods are set forth in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,231,377 to Cline et al, 4,420,002 to Cline, 4,461,311 to Mathews et al, 4,450,847 to Owens, and 4,805,644 to Hampl, Jr. et al. The paper wrappers proposed in the foregoing patents have a propensity to provide cigarettes which generate relatively low levels of visible sidestream smoke. A cigarette which generates relatively low levels of visible sidestream smoke is set forth in European Patent Application No. 290911. However, cigarette paper wrappers which are useful for manufacturing cigarettes which generate low amounts of visible sidestream smoke upon use, particularly those wrappers which include magnesium hydroxide as a filler component, often have the propensity to provide, upon use, an ash having flakey properties.
It would be desirable to provide a cigarette which incorporates a paper wrapper such that upon use (i) the cigarette generates low levels of visible sidestream smoke, and (ii) the ash of the paper wrapper is fairly cohesive and not highly flakey.